Page 36 - All Shapes & Zebras From Treorchy

And that is why International Days - both in the November for the Autumn Internationals and during February to March for the Six Nations - are such special occasions and held in such high regard.
Now this may seem strange in a book extolling the virtues of amateur rugby – but you’ll find many in the amateur rugby fraternity who actively celebrate when the fixture list offers up a momentary pause for the sake of an international fixture. The stresses and strains of a rugby season are such that these breaks are needed, both physically and mentally.
These weekends are a respite and largely serve two main purposes. For players with young families and partners, they offer a chance to stay away from the rugby club for a few weekends, when much needed ‘brownie points’ are earned before the boots are put back on. For other players, often younger and single, the international weekends offer a chance for a “full on” social – scores of players meeting at the club to watch the game on TV or, better still, a day out in the town or city to soak up the match day atmosphere.
Hang around a Welsh rugby club and you’ll certainly hear stories of weekends away - especially in Dublin or Edinburgh, as well as in London and Paris and, increasingly, Rome. Yet, there is something special about match days in Cardiff. Some say that the Welsh don’t need to celebrate St David’s Day with the same... enthusiasm... as when the Irish celebrate St Patrick’s because of the rugby internationals in Cardiff which bookend the year.
34 ALL SHAPES & ZEBRAS FROM TREORCHY